An unexpected homeby JuyUnseenChaptersA trudge in the rain.Upon the frontier.A day of workA trudge in the rain.Rain fell upon the dreary landscape as a lone figure walked slowly across the quietly drowning grass. Two days. This rain had been falling nonstop for two whole days and was yet to show any sign of stopping. Nopony had predicted such a storm, nor had any pegasus had a hoof in brewing the clouds that were now doing their best to flood the ground below, but the storm was there, and there was nothing the lone pony could do about it but endure the endless torrent. With a wisp of steam from her mouth, the pony sighed. There is a sigh for almost any emotion. Grief's sigh is full of pain and longing; happiness' sounds warm and content; boredom's tends to be drawn out and usually accompanied by a hoof running through the sighing pony's mane. This pony's sigh was one of fatigue. She was tired; horrendously so. Her hooves complained with every step, her breath was raspy, and her heart ached. Yes, she was tired from all of the walking, but even more so was she tired of what her life had become. She was in ruin. She hadn't a bit or bridle to her name, much less the wagon she had once owned. Her parlor tricks were useless in earning her anything, for it seemed that no town she came across would have her. Everywhere she went she was turned away. She hadn't even been given a chance to perform in most of the towns she had passed through; instead she was simply thrown out, unable to get a word in edgewise. Nowhere would anypony give her a helping hoof, or spare her a bit or two. It seemed the fiasco in Ponyville had started some sort of chain reaction, leading her life too rock bottom. She was a traveling performer. She had never in her life been a rich pony, nor had she ever been financially stable, but she had always managed to get by. Now she had nothing; not even tears, for she had cried them all long ago. Trixie was at the end of the line. Little did the blue unicorn who was busy trotting across Equesatria know, her time in Ponyville had started a chain reaction of sorts. Equestria's upper class was very fond of lists, and one of the lists updated most frequently was one about entertainment. For the longest while, Trixie had kept a clean record on this list, but the catastrophe in Ponyville had changed that. It had earned her a black mark of sorts, and because of this, now the upper class and nobility would turn her away for fear of embarrassing their town name by playing host to such a pony. A copy of this list was a possession on any pony who had any connections in the upper class or nobility, and most every town was home to at least one such pony. ALMOST every town. The poor form of Trixie lay in a heap, huddled in her raggedy cape, under a tree. She was soaked to the bone and shivering madly, but at least it was slightly drier here than being out in the open. She sighed once again; this time a sigh of depression and longing. "Why must Trixie endure such hardships?" she asked the rain, "What did I do to deserve such hatred? Such horrible luck? "Well isn't it obvious?" a very different side of her answered, "you stopped being a performer, and became a liar." She sighed once more, silencing the angry voice within her. She had had this conversation with herself before. She stated off into the rainy night, wishing for something, anything to prove she still had some good luck left in her. And as if in answer to her prayer, the rain stopped. A rare smile cracked her face. "Well at least there's that..." Unbenounced to Trixie, the rain stopping wasn't mere luck or coincidence; it was the closest thing to divine intervention she could have asked for. A set of eyes gazed upon her from above, covering the area in something akin to starlight. Luna smiled as she saw the pony do the same. It was rare for night princess to ever see a pony so sad. It reminded her of her own feelings; memories of hardship, loss, and craters. Memories of the moon. Needless to say, she couldn't stand to see it. In a silent motion, the princess of the night alighted on the ground next to the saddened pony. Trixie was oblivious of the newcomer. "We were wondering what could make a pony grieve so..." the starlit alicorn asked quietly. She felt that the royal Canterlot voice would be inappropriate here. Trixie jumped in surprise. "Wha?" she turned, and found herself face to face with the princess of the night and moon herself. Long ago, Trixie would have boasted, even before the princess, but that mare was long gone. The Trixie that sat under the tree, next to Luna was a mere husk of what she had once been. But perhaps that was for the better. "The great and... T-Trixie means... I-I mean..." she looked down again, stammering before the great princess. Words had once been her friend and her weapon. They were now turning on her. "We understand. It... Isn't easy to talk in such a state... Sadness makes conversation difficult, calmness infuriating and anger simple. Take your time. I have all night." Trixie sat in silence, formulating her words inside her head before finally vocalizing her feelings. "I've lost everything." she said quietly, "my home, my money, my life... I have nothing but my hooves and this rag of a cape..." Luna said nothing, and simply gazed up at the stars. Trixie followed her gaze, and was greeted by the sight of a meteor shower that could be glimpsed through the parted clouds. "We understand... We too have been alone before..." "For a thousand years" Trixie murmured. Luna nodded solemnly. "what was it like?" "Cold." was Luna's quiet response. Trixie nodded slowly, sadly. “It’s cold out here too…” she whispered. “Now,” said Luna, “Why don’t you tell me why your life has come to this?” Trixie had imagined that talking of her troubles would have been difficult, that the emotion would block her throat and render her mute. Never would she have thought that after months of keeping her true thoughts and feelings bottled, talking of them would not only be easy, but a relief. It was as if Luna’s request had released a valve, opening up Trixie’s voice, letting her story spill forward. At the end of it all, Trixie felt relieved. She felt that if she had held that in and longer, she might have exploded. She felt good. “And that,” she finished, her usual speech patterns returning, “Is Trixie’s sory.” With another sigh she turned away and stared once again at the sky as Luna reflected on the tale. "That is... Quite a lot for a pony to go through..." Luna murmured, "and... We would like to help." Trixie was stunned. Help her? Somepony, the princess no less, wanted to HELP her? It had been months since she had even dreamed of help, and He couldn't remember the last time she had been offered it. "trixie would be delighted to accept such help." she stammered, "Trixie... I-I mean... How do you propose to... Help me? I'm pitiful... No town will have me." "From your story, it seems to us that what you need more than anything, is a fresh start." Luna shut her eyes, and the magic emanating from her horn lit up the world around them. When the blinding light cleared, two things were changed. The clouds were gone, and a star to the west of them glowed brighter than anything Trixie had ever seen. "Follow that star," whispered the midnight-blue princess, 'It will lead you to a town. That town is a good place for a fresh start." the princess placed a hoof on trixie's shoulder "We wish you luck in your travels Trixie. We hope you find a better life." Trixie was in shock. Her throat felt tight, and a single tear dripped from her eye. Maybe... she thought, maybe things are going to get better. She turned to thank the princess that might very well soon turn out to be her savior, but the alicorn was nowhere to be seen. All that was left of the great pony was a whisper on the wind. "Go. The star will last until daylight." And so, summoning all the strength she had left, Trixie took off into the night, following the light of her lucky star. The blue mare ran her heart out. She was achy, famished, and exhausted; but the princess herself had told her there was a light at the end of this tunnel, and by Celestia was she going to find it. The ground beneath her hooves grew more barren, and grass turned to rock, mud to cracked earth and underbrush gave way to dust. She traveled further and further west, until she felt as if her hooves would fall apart, but still she galloped. And then came the morning's light, illuminating on the horizon a small town. Here she was, at the end of her long run. Luna hadn't lied to her. Here, under the fading brilliance of her guiding star, sat a town... If one could call it that. As she got closer, Trixie could see ponies emerging from their homes, ready to greet the new day, but they all stopped when their eyes fell on the streak of cyan that was Trixie. The town grew closer, and closer, and closer, and as she took her final steps onto the main road of the township, she collapsed. By all rights, she shouldn't have even been able to make it this far. It was by sheer willpower that she made it to the town. It was no surprise though that her legs would no longer hold her. The townsfolk stared, astonished, and nopony moved until one pony finally braved the crowd and stepped forward. He opened his mouth, and greeted the newcomer, "Welcome to Aaaaaaaaaaaapaloosa!" Trixie managed a feeble grin before passing out on the street. Upon the frontier.Trixie wasn’t exactly sure where she was as she came to. She recognized what it felt like, but it took her a minute to remember the word. Bed. She was in a bed. Her eyes flew open, and bright light flooding in through the window above her newfound resting place promptly blinded her. A few moments later, she was acclimated to the light and took in her surroundings for the first time. She was in a wooden room, sparsely furnished with a single chair, a book shelf, a curtained window, and a orange haired stallion with green eyes and a ten gallon cowpony hat. “Oh good! Ya’ll are awake!” He exclaimed as Trixie’s eyes came to rest on him, “I never got to welcome ya’ll properly yesterday!” Trixie looked on, rather stunned. “What are you doing in Trixie’s room?” She asked quickly. It seemed that some of her arrogance had returned with rest… that or just her third person speech patterns. The cowpony looked confused. “Who’s Trixie? This is my room! ‘Brought ya in here when you passed out last night. Ya’ll looked mighty tired, thought you could use a bed.” Again, Trixie looked somewhat stunned. “Y-your bed?” “That’s right.” The stallion grinned. “… where is Trixie?” “Who?” The blue mare sighed. “Where am I?” “Oh, you’re in Aaaaaaapaloosa! The greatest little frontier town this side of… well the frontier!” “… the frontier?” “Eeyup.” “Trixie is in the middle of nowhere?” “Well… not RIGHT the middle. We’re a little north of center, but yeah, we’re pretty close to the middle.” Trixie could not believe what she was hearing. You put me among hicks and dust? she directed her thoughts at Princess Luna, This is your ‘fresh start?’ With a heavy sigh, Trixie turned her attention back to the stallion beside her. “Trixie never caught your name…” She was suddenly yanked out of bed as he grabbed her hoof and began shaking vigerously. “The name’s Braeburn! Pleased ‘ta meet ya!” Trixie’s eyes were spinning in their sockets by the time he let her hoof go free. She took a moment to clear her head by shaking it before resuming the conversation. “Now, might Trixie ask where her cape has gotten to?” “Ya mean the rag ya’ll were wearing when you got here?” She sighed. “Yes. The ‘rag’.” “Well if’n I recall correctly… yeah, we put it out to be washed. Washboard probably has it. You could go ask him if’n you want it back.” “Washboard…” “Yes ma’am, takes care of all the laundry for th’ town.” “Uh-huh…” “Oh, that reminds me!” the stallion exclaimed suddenly, “I haven’t given you the tour yet!” “Tour?” “Yes ma’am. Everypony that visits Appleoosa gets a tour!” “And how many ponies visit you?” “… uh… Lesse… this year?” “Sure.” “What month is it?” “August.” “okay… that makes…” he seems to mull it over for a moment before exclaiming, “None!” “Wonderful…” Trixie trotted with Braeburn down the town’s central and only road. To their right was the sheriff’s office, which had been the first stop on their tour. They had also visited the salt lick (Appleoosa’s local bar), Washboard’s Washboards, Horseshoes and Wheels (guess what they sold), and an assortment of other houses. Trixie was tired of all the dust. How do they stand it? she wondered, They’re out in the middle of nowhere. How do they work? What keeps them going? “And now,” Braeburn announced, “We come to the final and most important stop on our tour.” They were walking up a rise. Trixie assumed that whatever they were supposed to be looking for must be just across the hill. “The suspense is killing me.” Trixie muttered in a flat, sarcastic tone. “Aww, don’t be like that. This is really important.” The hill gave way to a view of the last thing Trixie would have expected to see out here. Green. Green as far as the eye could see, with only a single, well-trodden path through the center to break up the endless sea of life that stood before her. “This here, is our apple orchard. We’ve been a town for two years now, and all of our efforts, everything we’ve done, has been for this.” He motioned to the landscape in front of him with a hoof. Trixie was, she hated to admit it, at a loss for words. Her jaw hung slightly agape as she gazed at the stunning display of these cowpony’s efforts. Braeburn just grinned like an idiot. It took Trixie a moment, but eventually she managed to form some words, her third-person speech patterns slipping in the process. “That’s… amazing.” “Isn’t it?” Braeburn sighed, “I planted the first tree… right over there.” He pointed to a place off in the distance before chuckling a bit. “Only then did we realize that it’d be smarter to plant them closer to town. So we planted the next couple here by the hill. Every day, with every shipment of saplings, the orchard grew closer and closer to that first tree. It was our goal you know… getting it this big. Our final tree came straight from my family’s farm back in Ponyville.” “Ponyville?” “Mmhmm.” Braeburn’s gaze was a little distant, and his words were filled with nostalgia. It made sense to Trixie how he could be so happy all the time. Everything he could want was right out here. Maybe this was a better place than she had though at first. Maybe I can live here… Maybe it isn't all that bad of a place... With a strong gust of afternoon wind, a tumbleweed blew straight into Trixie, bowling her over. On the ground she huffed a sigh. Maybe not. It was all Braeburn could do to not laugh. “And this is where you can stay.” Braeburn said as the two ponies trotted up to a small, empty house on the edge of town. They had spent the better part of the day traversing the town in order to see all the sights, now darkness was coming fast. “Wash got you some sheets n’ stuff for the night, and there are candles at the general store if’n ya’ need them.” “Trixie thanks you for your hospitality but… well…” Brae looked confused. “Somthin’ the matter?” “Trixie… I-I mean…” the blue mare sighed, “I can’t pay for any of this.” This seemed to confuse Braeburn even more. “Pay? I never asked you to pay. We’ll be providin’ for you till you can her your hooves back on the ground. That’s how it works out here. Nopony comes to Appleoosa with any bits to their name. so go on in, make yourself at home.” He smiled warmly and turned to head back to his own house. “G’night.” He called over his shoulder. Trixie watched as he trotted away, seemingly without a care in the world. “Good night.” She called back before heading inside her new home. She took a look around. There were three rooms, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a little living area. No bathroom. Trixie assumed there must be an outhouse somewhere and shuddered at the thought. “So what do you think?” spoke a voice out of nowhere. Trixie jumped in surprise, her reaction met with a soft chuckle. Princess Luna stood behind Trixie. Trixie looked rather startled. “What are you… when did…” Luna grins, “We're a princess, we can come and go as we please.” Trixie sighed. That made sense she supposed. “So,” Luna began, “How are you liking your new home so far?” Trixie looked incredulous. “why here? Why of all the places in the wide wide world of Equestria would you put me in this dirt hole?” Luna sighed. “We could throw out countless idioms. ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’” she snickers on the last one, “‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’… but we’ll be frank with you. This is the only town that will have you. All other towns will turn you away. We know it isn’t perfect, but nothing is. Just do your best okay?” Trixie nodded slowly. “Alright… Fine, I’ll stay…” then she added under her breath, “for a while…” Luna looks content with this answer, “Good. Now get some sleep. The sun is up bright and early out here, and the ponies up even earlier. You’re gonna have to do some real work, you up for that?” “Well, actually I…” but Luna was already gone before she could finish. Trixie sighed. “Some benevolent princess… The middle of nowhere… don’t judge a book by its cover….” Trixie trotted off to her new room, and promptly fell asleep. Luna stood on her balcony that overlooked the greater part of Equestria, her face now quite a bit more serious than it had been during her conversation with Trixie. “We hope she’ll be alright…” She murmured to the night air. A day of workTrixie would have wished to be able to say that her second night in a bed had been as comfortable as her first, but sadly it ended far earlier than she had intended. Five o' clock came bright and early, and so did Braeburn. "G'MORNIN' TRIXIE!" he yelled through her newly opened window, placed comically above the headboard of her bed, allowing the tan stallion to look straight down onto her face. With a yelp, Trixie fell out of bed, startled. "Who dares disturb the Great and Powerful Trixie's slumber?!?!?!?" Braeburn chuckled as she looked frantically for the source of her wake-up call. "Up here." he laughed, drawing her gaze to his face. "Oh," she huffed, "It's you..." "Expectin' somepony else?" Trixie sighed. "No," the blue mare murmured, "I suppose not." Braeburn shrugged and pulled his head out of the window. "I just wanted ta wake ya fer the mornin' watering duty. It's my turn and I thought I might as well take ya with me." "What makes you think I would even want to go do something like that?" Trixie pouted. Suddenly, Braeburn's voice became serious. "If you live in Appleoosa, you work. Simple as that." Trixie sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs. "Then Trixie won't go." Braeburn poked his head back through the window and looked at her a moment. "You know?" he sighed, "I liked y'all better when you were talkin' all normal like..." "There is nothing wrong with the way Trixie talks." Braeburn sighed again. "Alright, you can stay here. But if you do, you don't get any food. Simple as that." Trixie's jaw hit the floor. “You can’t do that to Trixie!” Braeburn grinned, “Yes Braeburn can.” Trixie sighed and stood before walking through the house to her front door. It looked like she had work to do. Tiring was an understatement. It was torture to Trixie, plodding along through those miles of trees, dragging the heavy watering machine that felt like it got her wetter than the trees. Trixie huffed and grumped the entire way. Why did SHE have to pull this thing with Braeburn? This was the perfect job for a strong, simple earth pony like him, but her? A magician, a performer, a unicorn? She wasn’t cut out for this. Twelve o’ clock brought break-time, and Trixie collapsed under the nearest tree the moment the word ‘lunch’ came from Brae’s lips. Braeburn laughed as she threw herself into the shade of the proud tree. “What? Somepony not used to a little work?” He chided playfully as he removed his saddlebag and sat beside her. Trixie was gasping for breath, “A little?!?! That… machine weighs a ton!” Braeburn laughed again. “It only weighs ‘round two hundred pounds. ‘sides, It’s getting lighter. The more water we use, th’ less there is in th’ tank.” He shrugged and began to dig around his bag, seeming to search for something. “You’re crazy…” “Hey, look at the bright side!” “What bright side?” “All the work got ya to stop callin’ yourself Trixie.” “I… I mean…” Trixie stopped and though about this for a moment, “Trixie was just…” “Don’t start. Like I said, I like ya better this way.” Trixie sighed. There was no reasoning with this one. Braeburn simply smiled and moments later produced two sandwiches from his bag. “That’a all we get?” “Course not.” Brae said as he stood again. Then, with a strong, well placed kick to the tree behind him, four apples fell. Not yet in their prime, but still good enough to eat. “Two for you, and two for me.” She smiled as Trixie grabbed one with her magic and stared at it hungrily. Before she took a bit however, she trotted over to the watering machine and opened the lid of the tank. “What’re ya doing?” Braeburn asked, confused. He had already bitten into his first fruit. “Washing it off of co-“ She stopped talking as she saw him already eating his fruit, unwashed. She yanked it from his grasp with her magic and brought it to the tank as well, “No, no, no. They need to be cleaned first. They might have... BUGS or something!” The twin shiny fruits were quickly dunked into the water and magically scrubbed. Trixie did the same with the other apples and moments later, the apples were gleaming with their new, thorough wash. She handed Braeburn back his two. “There. Now you may eat.” Braeburn laughed and took another bite. “Ya’ll are weird, ya know that?” “And you are all muscle and no brain, not to mention hygiene.” “No brain huh?” “Most certainly.” With a smirk, Braeburn produced something from his back, and unfolded it. It was a chess board. “Care to test that theory?” He asked with a faint air of sweetness to his voice. Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re on. Nopony can best the great and powerful TRIXIE!” As it turned out, it was quite possible to best the great and powerful Trixie; multiple times over in fact. After an hour and a half of chess and lunch, the score stood at 5 Braeburn, 2 Trixie, and the two of them were having the time of their lives. “Alright,” Trixie finally said, “I concede. You win.” Braeburn kicked the air triumphantly. “Good, glad ya finally see th’ truth.” “Whatever,” Trixie stuck her tongue out at him, “Let’s just finish the watering.” “What’s this? Trixie the city-pony talking about doing work?” Braeburn looked mock horrified. Trixie giggled. “Oh shut up you, I just want to get home. That’s all.” The two harnessed themselves back in and set to work, this time talking as they walked. “So how did you get so good at chess?” “it’s a long story actually. Wanna hear it?” “Sure. I’ve got time.” “Well, it all started a few months back, over at the salt lick.” The two trotted through the orchard, weaving back and forth between the rows of trees, until they made it back to town, about fifteen minutes after the sun had set, neither of them realizing that the chessboard still sat where they had eaten their lunch, the chess pieces still set up where they had been left at the end of the game. The black queen, and white king stood next to each other, alone on the squares, the last pieces of the game.
A trudge in the rain.Rain fell upon the dreary landscape as a lone figure walked slowly across the quietly drowning grass. Two days. This rain had been falling nonstop for two whole days and was yet to show any sign of stopping. Nopony had predicted such a storm, nor had any pegasus had a hoof in brewing the clouds that were now doing their best to flood the ground below, but the storm was there, and there was nothing the lone pony could do about it but endure the endless torrent. With a wisp of steam from her mouth, the pony sighed. There is a sigh for almost any emotion. Grief's sigh is full of pain and longing; happiness' sounds warm and content; boredom's tends to be drawn out and usually accompanied by a hoof running through the sighing pony's mane. This pony's sigh was one of fatigue. She was tired; horrendously so. Her hooves complained with every step, her breath was raspy, and her heart ached. Yes, she was tired from all of the walking, but even more so was she tired of what her life had become. She was in ruin. She hadn't a bit or bridle to her name, much less the wagon she had once owned. Her parlor tricks were useless in earning her anything, for it seemed that no town she came across would have her. Everywhere she went she was turned away. She hadn't even been given a chance to perform in most of the towns she had passed through; instead she was simply thrown out, unable to get a word in edgewise. Nowhere would anypony give her a helping hoof, or spare her a bit or two. It seemed the fiasco in Ponyville had started some sort of chain reaction, leading her life too rock bottom. She was a traveling performer. She had never in her life been a rich pony, nor had she ever been financially stable, but she had always managed to get by. Now she had nothing; not even tears, for she had cried them all long ago. Trixie was at the end of the line. Little did the blue unicorn who was busy trotting across Equesatria know, her time in Ponyville had started a chain reaction of sorts. Equestria's upper class was very fond of lists, and one of the lists updated most frequently was one about entertainment. For the longest while, Trixie had kept a clean record on this list, but the catastrophe in Ponyville had changed that. It had earned her a black mark of sorts, and because of this, now the upper class and nobility would turn her away for fear of embarrassing their town name by playing host to such a pony. A copy of this list was a possession on any pony who had any connections in the upper class or nobility, and most every town was home to at least one such pony. ALMOST every town. The poor form of Trixie lay in a heap, huddled in her raggedy cape, under a tree. She was soaked to the bone and shivering madly, but at least it was slightly drier here than being out in the open. She sighed once again; this time a sigh of depression and longing. "Why must Trixie endure such hardships?" she asked the rain, "What did I do to deserve such hatred? Such horrible luck? "Well isn't it obvious?" a very different side of her answered, "you stopped being a performer, and became a liar." She sighed once more, silencing the angry voice within her. She had had this conversation with herself before. She stated off into the rainy night, wishing for something, anything to prove she still had some good luck left in her. And as if in answer to her prayer, the rain stopped. A rare smile cracked her face. "Well at least there's that..." Unbenounced to Trixie, the rain stopping wasn't mere luck or coincidence; it was the closest thing to divine intervention she could have asked for. A set of eyes gazed upon her from above, covering the area in something akin to starlight. Luna smiled as she saw the pony do the same. It was rare for night princess to ever see a pony so sad. It reminded her of her own feelings; memories of hardship, loss, and craters. Memories of the moon. Needless to say, she couldn't stand to see it. In a silent motion, the princess of the night alighted on the ground next to the saddened pony. Trixie was oblivious of the newcomer. "We were wondering what could make a pony grieve so..." the starlit alicorn asked quietly. She felt that the royal Canterlot voice would be inappropriate here. Trixie jumped in surprise. "Wha?" she turned, and found herself face to face with the princess of the night and moon herself. Long ago, Trixie would have boasted, even before the princess, but that mare was long gone. The Trixie that sat under the tree, next to Luna was a mere husk of what she had once been. But perhaps that was for the better. "The great and... T-Trixie means... I-I mean..." she looked down again, stammering before the great princess. Words had once been her friend and her weapon. They were now turning on her. "We understand. It... Isn't easy to talk in such a state... Sadness makes conversation difficult, calmness infuriating and anger simple. Take your time. I have all night." Trixie sat in silence, formulating her words inside her head before finally vocalizing her feelings. "I've lost everything." she said quietly, "my home, my money, my life... I have nothing but my hooves and this rag of a cape..." Luna said nothing, and simply gazed up at the stars. Trixie followed her gaze, and was greeted by the sight of a meteor shower that could be glimpsed through the parted clouds. "We understand... We too have been alone before..." "For a thousand years" Trixie murmured. Luna nodded solemnly. "what was it like?" "Cold." was Luna's quiet response. Trixie nodded slowly, sadly. “It’s cold out here too…” she whispered. “Now,” said Luna, “Why don’t you tell me why your life has come to this?” Trixie had imagined that talking of her troubles would have been difficult, that the emotion would block her throat and render her mute. Never would she have thought that after months of keeping her true thoughts and feelings bottled, talking of them would not only be easy, but a relief. It was as if Luna’s request had released a valve, opening up Trixie’s voice, letting her story spill forward. At the end of it all, Trixie felt relieved. She felt that if she had held that in and longer, she might have exploded. She felt good. “And that,” she finished, her usual speech patterns returning, “Is Trixie’s sory.” With another sigh she turned away and stared once again at the sky as Luna reflected on the tale. "That is... Quite a lot for a pony to go through..." Luna murmured, "and... We would like to help." Trixie was stunned. Help her? Somepony, the princess no less, wanted to HELP her? It had been months since she had even dreamed of help, and He couldn't remember the last time she had been offered it. "trixie would be delighted to accept such help." she stammered, "Trixie... I-I mean... How do you propose to... Help me? I'm pitiful... No town will have me." "From your story, it seems to us that what you need more than anything, is a fresh start." Luna shut her eyes, and the magic emanating from her horn lit up the world around them. When the blinding light cleared, two things were changed. The clouds were gone, and a star to the west of them glowed brighter than anything Trixie had ever seen. "Follow that star," whispered the midnight-blue princess, 'It will lead you to a town. That town is a good place for a fresh start." the princess placed a hoof on trixie's shoulder "We wish you luck in your travels Trixie. We hope you find a better life." Trixie was in shock. Her throat felt tight, and a single tear dripped from her eye. Maybe... she thought, maybe things are going to get better. She turned to thank the princess that might very well soon turn out to be her savior, but the alicorn was nowhere to be seen. All that was left of the great pony was a whisper on the wind. "Go. The star will last until daylight." And so, summoning all the strength she had left, Trixie took off into the night, following the light of her lucky star. The blue mare ran her heart out. She was achy, famished, and exhausted; but the princess herself had told her there was a light at the end of this tunnel, and by Celestia was she going to find it. The ground beneath her hooves grew more barren, and grass turned to rock, mud to cracked earth and underbrush gave way to dust. She traveled further and further west, until she felt as if her hooves would fall apart, but still she galloped. And then came the morning's light, illuminating on the horizon a small town. Here she was, at the end of her long run. Luna hadn't lied to her. Here, under the fading brilliance of her guiding star, sat a town... If one could call it that. As she got closer, Trixie could see ponies emerging from their homes, ready to greet the new day, but they all stopped when their eyes fell on the streak of cyan that was Trixie. The town grew closer, and closer, and closer, and as she took her final steps onto the main road of the township, she collapsed. By all rights, she shouldn't have even been able to make it this far. It was by sheer willpower that she made it to the town. It was no surprise though that her legs would no longer hold her. The townsfolk stared, astonished, and nopony moved until one pony finally braved the crowd and stepped forward. He opened his mouth, and greeted the newcomer, "Welcome to Aaaaaaaaaaaapaloosa!" Trixie managed a feeble grin before passing out on the street.
Upon the frontier.Trixie wasn’t exactly sure where she was as she came to. She recognized what it felt like, but it took her a minute to remember the word. Bed. She was in a bed. Her eyes flew open, and bright light flooding in through the window above her newfound resting place promptly blinded her. A few moments later, she was acclimated to the light and took in her surroundings for the first time. She was in a wooden room, sparsely furnished with a single chair, a book shelf, a curtained window, and a orange haired stallion with green eyes and a ten gallon cowpony hat. “Oh good! Ya’ll are awake!” He exclaimed as Trixie’s eyes came to rest on him, “I never got to welcome ya’ll properly yesterday!” Trixie looked on, rather stunned. “What are you doing in Trixie’s room?” She asked quickly. It seemed that some of her arrogance had returned with rest… that or just her third person speech patterns. The cowpony looked confused. “Who’s Trixie? This is my room! ‘Brought ya in here when you passed out last night. Ya’ll looked mighty tired, thought you could use a bed.” Again, Trixie looked somewhat stunned. “Y-your bed?” “That’s right.” The stallion grinned. “… where is Trixie?” “Who?” The blue mare sighed. “Where am I?” “Oh, you’re in Aaaaaaapaloosa! The greatest little frontier town this side of… well the frontier!” “… the frontier?” “Eeyup.” “Trixie is in the middle of nowhere?” “Well… not RIGHT the middle. We’re a little north of center, but yeah, we’re pretty close to the middle.” Trixie could not believe what she was hearing. You put me among hicks and dust? she directed her thoughts at Princess Luna, This is your ‘fresh start?’ With a heavy sigh, Trixie turned her attention back to the stallion beside her. “Trixie never caught your name…” She was suddenly yanked out of bed as he grabbed her hoof and began shaking vigerously. “The name’s Braeburn! Pleased ‘ta meet ya!” Trixie’s eyes were spinning in their sockets by the time he let her hoof go free. She took a moment to clear her head by shaking it before resuming the conversation. “Now, might Trixie ask where her cape has gotten to?” “Ya mean the rag ya’ll were wearing when you got here?” She sighed. “Yes. The ‘rag’.” “Well if’n I recall correctly… yeah, we put it out to be washed. Washboard probably has it. You could go ask him if’n you want it back.” “Washboard…” “Yes ma’am, takes care of all the laundry for th’ town.” “Uh-huh…” “Oh, that reminds me!” the stallion exclaimed suddenly, “I haven’t given you the tour yet!” “Tour?” “Yes ma’am. Everypony that visits Appleoosa gets a tour!” “And how many ponies visit you?” “… uh… Lesse… this year?” “Sure.” “What month is it?” “August.” “okay… that makes…” he seems to mull it over for a moment before exclaiming, “None!” “Wonderful…” Trixie trotted with Braeburn down the town’s central and only road. To their right was the sheriff’s office, which had been the first stop on their tour. They had also visited the salt lick (Appleoosa’s local bar), Washboard’s Washboards, Horseshoes and Wheels (guess what they sold), and an assortment of other houses. Trixie was tired of all the dust. How do they stand it? she wondered, They’re out in the middle of nowhere. How do they work? What keeps them going? “And now,” Braeburn announced, “We come to the final and most important stop on our tour.” They were walking up a rise. Trixie assumed that whatever they were supposed to be looking for must be just across the hill. “The suspense is killing me.” Trixie muttered in a flat, sarcastic tone. “Aww, don’t be like that. This is really important.” The hill gave way to a view of the last thing Trixie would have expected to see out here. Green. Green as far as the eye could see, with only a single, well-trodden path through the center to break up the endless sea of life that stood before her. “This here, is our apple orchard. We’ve been a town for two years now, and all of our efforts, everything we’ve done, has been for this.” He motioned to the landscape in front of him with a hoof. Trixie was, she hated to admit it, at a loss for words. Her jaw hung slightly agape as she gazed at the stunning display of these cowpony’s efforts. Braeburn just grinned like an idiot. It took Trixie a moment, but eventually she managed to form some words, her third-person speech patterns slipping in the process. “That’s… amazing.” “Isn’t it?” Braeburn sighed, “I planted the first tree… right over there.” He pointed to a place off in the distance before chuckling a bit. “Only then did we realize that it’d be smarter to plant them closer to town. So we planted the next couple here by the hill. Every day, with every shipment of saplings, the orchard grew closer and closer to that first tree. It was our goal you know… getting it this big. Our final tree came straight from my family’s farm back in Ponyville.” “Ponyville?” “Mmhmm.” Braeburn’s gaze was a little distant, and his words were filled with nostalgia. It made sense to Trixie how he could be so happy all the time. Everything he could want was right out here. Maybe this was a better place than she had though at first. Maybe I can live here… Maybe it isn't all that bad of a place... With a strong gust of afternoon wind, a tumbleweed blew straight into Trixie, bowling her over. On the ground she huffed a sigh. Maybe not. It was all Braeburn could do to not laugh. “And this is where you can stay.” Braeburn said as the two ponies trotted up to a small, empty house on the edge of town. They had spent the better part of the day traversing the town in order to see all the sights, now darkness was coming fast. “Wash got you some sheets n’ stuff for the night, and there are candles at the general store if’n ya’ need them.” “Trixie thanks you for your hospitality but… well…” Brae looked confused. “Somthin’ the matter?” “Trixie… I-I mean…” the blue mare sighed, “I can’t pay for any of this.” This seemed to confuse Braeburn even more. “Pay? I never asked you to pay. We’ll be providin’ for you till you can her your hooves back on the ground. That’s how it works out here. Nopony comes to Appleoosa with any bits to their name. so go on in, make yourself at home.” He smiled warmly and turned to head back to his own house. “G’night.” He called over his shoulder. Trixie watched as he trotted away, seemingly without a care in the world. “Good night.” She called back before heading inside her new home. She took a look around. There were three rooms, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a little living area. No bathroom. Trixie assumed there must be an outhouse somewhere and shuddered at the thought. “So what do you think?” spoke a voice out of nowhere. Trixie jumped in surprise, her reaction met with a soft chuckle. Princess Luna stood behind Trixie. Trixie looked rather startled. “What are you… when did…” Luna grins, “We're a princess, we can come and go as we please.” Trixie sighed. That made sense she supposed. “So,” Luna began, “How are you liking your new home so far?” Trixie looked incredulous. “why here? Why of all the places in the wide wide world of Equestria would you put me in this dirt hole?” Luna sighed. “We could throw out countless idioms. ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’” she snickers on the last one, “‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’… but we’ll be frank with you. This is the only town that will have you. All other towns will turn you away. We know it isn’t perfect, but nothing is. Just do your best okay?” Trixie nodded slowly. “Alright… Fine, I’ll stay…” then she added under her breath, “for a while…” Luna looks content with this answer, “Good. Now get some sleep. The sun is up bright and early out here, and the ponies up even earlier. You’re gonna have to do some real work, you up for that?” “Well, actually I…” but Luna was already gone before she could finish. Trixie sighed. “Some benevolent princess… The middle of nowhere… don’t judge a book by its cover….” Trixie trotted off to her new room, and promptly fell asleep. Luna stood on her balcony that overlooked the greater part of Equestria, her face now quite a bit more serious than it had been during her conversation with Trixie. “We hope she’ll be alright…” She murmured to the night air.
A day of workTrixie would have wished to be able to say that her second night in a bed had been as comfortable as her first, but sadly it ended far earlier than she had intended. Five o' clock came bright and early, and so did Braeburn. "G'MORNIN' TRIXIE!" he yelled through her newly opened window, placed comically above the headboard of her bed, allowing the tan stallion to look straight down onto her face. With a yelp, Trixie fell out of bed, startled. "Who dares disturb the Great and Powerful Trixie's slumber?!?!?!?" Braeburn chuckled as she looked frantically for the source of her wake-up call. "Up here." he laughed, drawing her gaze to his face. "Oh," she huffed, "It's you..." "Expectin' somepony else?" Trixie sighed. "No," the blue mare murmured, "I suppose not." Braeburn shrugged and pulled his head out of the window. "I just wanted ta wake ya fer the mornin' watering duty. It's my turn and I thought I might as well take ya with me." "What makes you think I would even want to go do something like that?" Trixie pouted. Suddenly, Braeburn's voice became serious. "If you live in Appleoosa, you work. Simple as that." Trixie sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs. "Then Trixie won't go." Braeburn poked his head back through the window and looked at her a moment. "You know?" he sighed, "I liked y'all better when you were talkin' all normal like..." "There is nothing wrong with the way Trixie talks." Braeburn sighed again. "Alright, you can stay here. But if you do, you don't get any food. Simple as that." Trixie's jaw hit the floor. “You can’t do that to Trixie!” Braeburn grinned, “Yes Braeburn can.” Trixie sighed and stood before walking through the house to her front door. It looked like she had work to do. Tiring was an understatement. It was torture to Trixie, plodding along through those miles of trees, dragging the heavy watering machine that felt like it got her wetter than the trees. Trixie huffed and grumped the entire way. Why did SHE have to pull this thing with Braeburn? This was the perfect job for a strong, simple earth pony like him, but her? A magician, a performer, a unicorn? She wasn’t cut out for this. Twelve o’ clock brought break-time, and Trixie collapsed under the nearest tree the moment the word ‘lunch’ came from Brae’s lips. Braeburn laughed as she threw herself into the shade of the proud tree. “What? Somepony not used to a little work?” He chided playfully as he removed his saddlebag and sat beside her. Trixie was gasping for breath, “A little?!?! That… machine weighs a ton!” Braeburn laughed again. “It only weighs ‘round two hundred pounds. ‘sides, It’s getting lighter. The more water we use, th’ less there is in th’ tank.” He shrugged and began to dig around his bag, seeming to search for something. “You’re crazy…” “Hey, look at the bright side!” “What bright side?” “All the work got ya to stop callin’ yourself Trixie.” “I… I mean…” Trixie stopped and though about this for a moment, “Trixie was just…” “Don’t start. Like I said, I like ya better this way.” Trixie sighed. There was no reasoning with this one. Braeburn simply smiled and moments later produced two sandwiches from his bag. “That’a all we get?” “Course not.” Brae said as he stood again. Then, with a strong, well placed kick to the tree behind him, four apples fell. Not yet in their prime, but still good enough to eat. “Two for you, and two for me.” She smiled as Trixie grabbed one with her magic and stared at it hungrily. Before she took a bit however, she trotted over to the watering machine and opened the lid of the tank. “What’re ya doing?” Braeburn asked, confused. He had already bitten into his first fruit. “Washing it off of co-“ She stopped talking as she saw him already eating his fruit, unwashed. She yanked it from his grasp with her magic and brought it to the tank as well, “No, no, no. They need to be cleaned first. They might have... BUGS or something!” The twin shiny fruits were quickly dunked into the water and magically scrubbed. Trixie did the same with the other apples and moments later, the apples were gleaming with their new, thorough wash. She handed Braeburn back his two. “There. Now you may eat.” Braeburn laughed and took another bite. “Ya’ll are weird, ya know that?” “And you are all muscle and no brain, not to mention hygiene.” “No brain huh?” “Most certainly.” With a smirk, Braeburn produced something from his back, and unfolded it. It was a chess board. “Care to test that theory?” He asked with a faint air of sweetness to his voice. Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re on. Nopony can best the great and powerful TRIXIE!” As it turned out, it was quite possible to best the great and powerful Trixie; multiple times over in fact. After an hour and a half of chess and lunch, the score stood at 5 Braeburn, 2 Trixie, and the two of them were having the time of their lives. “Alright,” Trixie finally said, “I concede. You win.” Braeburn kicked the air triumphantly. “Good, glad ya finally see th’ truth.” “Whatever,” Trixie stuck her tongue out at him, “Let’s just finish the watering.” “What’s this? Trixie the city-pony talking about doing work?” Braeburn looked mock horrified. Trixie giggled. “Oh shut up you, I just want to get home. That’s all.” The two harnessed themselves back in and set to work, this time talking as they walked. “So how did you get so good at chess?” “it’s a long story actually. Wanna hear it?” “Sure. I’ve got time.” “Well, it all started a few months back, over at the salt lick.” The two trotted through the orchard, weaving back and forth between the rows of trees, until they made it back to town, about fifteen minutes after the sun had set, neither of them realizing that the chessboard still sat where they had eaten their lunch, the chess pieces still set up where they had been left at the end of the game. The black queen, and white king stood next to each other, alone on the squares, the last pieces of the game.
